Pair claim place in national finals

STAMFORD bowlers Martyn Dolby and Bob Warters have reached the national finals of the English Indoor Championship for the second successive year.

They broke new ground for the Stamford and District Indoor Club in 2011 by reaching the quarter-finals and this time they aim to improve on that after winning the Area Six final at Spalding on Sunday night.

They faced the experienced Boston pair of ‘Abb’ French and Mick Tomlin and after Tomlin had killed a couple of ends where the Stamford pair held a strong advantage, secured five shots on the 14th end to lead 17-10.

Boston pegged back with shortened jacks but a three for Stamford left Boston trailing 20-17 and needing three on the last end to tie. They held two but Dolby produced a bowl within an inch and with his last bowl Tomlin was unable to remove it.

Dolby also reached the Area final of the National Pairs with Adam Warrington on Monday, beating Sleaford’s Paul Roberts and Trevor Bannister 21-15.

The turning point came when Dolby forced a Sleaford bowl out of the head on the way to picking up five shots. They now meet internationals Matt Whyers and Graham Smith (Spalding).

l THE club’s mixed team in the Second Division of the Lincs County League got back on track with an impressive 14 points at Louth A and an 11-shot overall margin.

Despite absentees due to other commitments, new players integrated well into the line-up leaving captain Margaret Bloxham with a selection headache as she bids to retain a 14-point lead at the top of the table for tomorrow’s visit of Dunholme.

The club’s youthful B team claimed an impressive maximum 18 points with a 107-83 defeat of Sleaford B to get within five points of leaders Spalding B.

The Over 60s League team’s bid to climb the table stuttered to 85-98 defeat at leaders Sleaford. With only seven points separating the top six there is plenty to play for.

In the Lincs County Mixed, John and Moira Holroyd moved into the quarter finals beating Brynn and Mandy Foxton (Dunholme) 19-17.

Stamford players also played key roles in the Derbyshire Inter-County Federation Trophy against North Cambridgeshire. The two-wood triples rinks of Wayne Morris, Richard Montgomery and Adam Warrington and Barry Plowman, Doug Want and Peter Edwards won comfortably at Wisbech to set up an 18-4 points triumph.